Tuning Into God’s Voice
Aug 28
/
Caran Jantzen
Years ago, I met with a spiritual director who regularly said, silence is God’s first language. At the time, I felt frustrated by his words. Part of the reason I met with him in spiritual direction was to learn to discern God’s voice. He spoke these words with conviction, but I wasn’t convinced. At the time, silence seemed like the opposite of hearing God speak.
It has been said that God is always speaking; it is our ability or inability to notice that enables or prevents us from hearing God.
Over time, I have learned that God speaks in many ways. Undoubtedly, God speaks through Scripture. Devotional readings such as Lectio Divina can be beneficial for tuning into God’s voice. But God also speaks through dreams and visions, the encouraging or cautionary words of a friend, creativity and the imagination, our emotions, the sensations of our bodies, and prayers, such as the Examen.
Often, God can be heard through the familiar metaphors of everyday life. This has been especially true for me in my garden. God has communicated profound truths through the cyclical nature of seasons, the miracle of life, the gift of the harvest, and the power of the weather.
If seeking God’s voice feels unfamiliar or uncomfortable, consider how you seek God’s guidance in decision-making. In your young adult years, you may have sought God’s guidance for questions such as: Where should I go to college? Whom should I marry? Which career should I pursue? While you probably didn’t experience an audible voice, there was likely a way that God spoke to you through your decision-making process.
You may have experienced a sense of inner peace or a reduced sense of internal resistance, despite the risks. You may have spontaneously thought of an idea or solution that had never occurred to you before. You may have received a word from a loved one, or you heard a song lyric or a passage of scripture that spoke to your exact situation. You may have encountered an opportunity or a closed door that you did not anticipate.
Those who have experienced God’s leading through a difficult season of life know the comfort and peace that comes from hearing or sensing God’s voice of guidance.
However, listening to God’s voice goes beyond seeking God’s guidance. A maturing spirituality seeks God’s voice not only from a place of need but from a place of desire – a longing to know and be known by God. Being known by God assures us of our belovedness, and knowing God assures us of God’s lovingkindness.
A maturing spirituality also recognizes the cost of pursuing God’s voice: Evelyn Underhill, a 20th-century. Christian mystic wrote that hearing God’s voice is not a result of God’s special focus on a select few, but rather a result of the few being devoted in their pursuit of God. The mystics have always known that we encounter God’s voice in proportion to our willingness to tune out the chaos of the world.
Recently, I’ve been discovering what my spiritual director knew all along – that God speaks through silence. Like that of a decades-old friend, a spouse of many years, or a parent that has become a friend to their adult child, the intimacy of knowing and being known requires few words. God’s silent presence communicates love, trust, honesty, kindness, patience, safety, and goodness.
God still speaks – not to the select few, but to all who want to hear. Thankfully, learning to tune in to God’s voice is a practice we can all cultivate.
It has been said that God is always speaking; it is our ability or inability to notice that enables or prevents us from hearing God.
Over time, I have learned that God speaks in many ways. Undoubtedly, God speaks through Scripture. Devotional readings such as Lectio Divina can be beneficial for tuning into God’s voice. But God also speaks through dreams and visions, the encouraging or cautionary words of a friend, creativity and the imagination, our emotions, the sensations of our bodies, and prayers, such as the Examen.
Often, God can be heard through the familiar metaphors of everyday life. This has been especially true for me in my garden. God has communicated profound truths through the cyclical nature of seasons, the miracle of life, the gift of the harvest, and the power of the weather.
If seeking God’s voice feels unfamiliar or uncomfortable, consider how you seek God’s guidance in decision-making. In your young adult years, you may have sought God’s guidance for questions such as: Where should I go to college? Whom should I marry? Which career should I pursue? While you probably didn’t experience an audible voice, there was likely a way that God spoke to you through your decision-making process.
You may have experienced a sense of inner peace or a reduced sense of internal resistance, despite the risks. You may have spontaneously thought of an idea or solution that had never occurred to you before. You may have received a word from a loved one, or you heard a song lyric or a passage of scripture that spoke to your exact situation. You may have encountered an opportunity or a closed door that you did not anticipate.
Those who have experienced God’s leading through a difficult season of life know the comfort and peace that comes from hearing or sensing God’s voice of guidance.
However, listening to God’s voice goes beyond seeking God’s guidance. A maturing spirituality seeks God’s voice not only from a place of need but from a place of desire – a longing to know and be known by God. Being known by God assures us of our belovedness, and knowing God assures us of God’s lovingkindness.
A maturing spirituality also recognizes the cost of pursuing God’s voice: Evelyn Underhill, a 20th-century. Christian mystic wrote that hearing God’s voice is not a result of God’s special focus on a select few, but rather a result of the few being devoted in their pursuit of God. The mystics have always known that we encounter God’s voice in proportion to our willingness to tune out the chaos of the world.
Recently, I’ve been discovering what my spiritual director knew all along – that God speaks through silence. Like that of a decades-old friend, a spouse of many years, or a parent that has become a friend to their adult child, the intimacy of knowing and being known requires few words. God’s silent presence communicates love, trust, honesty, kindness, patience, safety, and goodness.
God still speaks – not to the select few, but to all who want to hear. Thankfully, learning to tune in to God’s voice is a practice we can all cultivate.
Caran Jantzen
Caran is a transformational coach who works from the belief that the triune God desires our shalom wholeness. She finds joy in supporting individuals and small groups as they discover God’s loving presence in their everyday lives. Caran also serves as a lay leader in her Mennonite Brethren faith community.
Caran, her husband, and their four kids live on the Southwestern coast of British Columbia. She has a deep appreciation for the beauty of the rugged mountains and coastlines nearby. In her spare time, she can be found daydreaming in her garden, practicing her amateur photography skills, walking with friends or curled up with her cat and a book.
Caran is a certified Transformational Life Coach through Western Seminary. She is currently working on her MA in Spiritual Formation and her Spiritual Direction certification from Portland Seminary.
Caran is a transformational coach who works from the belief that the triune God desires our shalom wholeness. She finds joy in supporting individuals and small groups as they discover God’s loving presence in their everyday lives. Caran also serves as a lay leader in her Mennonite Brethren faith community.
Caran, her husband, and their four kids live on the Southwestern coast of British Columbia. She has a deep appreciation for the beauty of the rugged mountains and coastlines nearby. In her spare time, she can be found daydreaming in her garden, practicing her amateur photography skills, walking with friends or curled up with her cat and a book.
Caran is a certified Transformational Life Coach through Western Seminary. She is currently working on her MA in Spiritual Formation and her Spiritual Direction certification from Portland Seminary.
